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Malala thanks supporters

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Malala Yousufzai says thank you for "the outpouring of love and support"

She is recovering in Britain after being shot by Taliban gunmen in Pakistan

Her father says she is walking and reading books

She expresses commitment to the cause of promoting girls' education

Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl activist who was shot in the head by the Taliban, has expressed gratitude to the people around the world who have supported her as she recovers from the traumatic attack.

"Thank you so much for the outpouring of love and support," Malala said in a message read by Anderson Cooper at the CNN Heroes ceremony in Los Angeles. "I thank the people that supported me without distinguishing religion and color."

Malala has been campaigning for girls' right to education in a conservative area of Pakistan for years.

In her message, she praised girls in northwestern Pakistan "who are continuing their studies despite threats from militants."

She is now at a hospital in Britain, where she was transferred to soon after the assassination attempt in northwestern Pakistan in October. Examinations there revealed that she had suffered no major neurological damage, but she still faces a long struggle to recover from her injuries.

Photos: Malala's recovery 8 photos

Photos: Malala's recovery8 photos

Malala's road to recovery – Malala Yousafzai returns to school for the first time at Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, England, on March 19, 2012. The 15-year-old said she had "achieved her dream."

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Photos: Malala's recovery8 photos

Malala's road to recovery – Malala was one of seven people featured on the cover of Time's 100 most influential people edition of the magazine in April.

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Malala's road to recovery – The teen was discharged from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, in February 2012.

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Malala's road to recovery – Malala Yousufzai, 15, reads a book on November 7, 2012 at the hospital.

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Malala's road to recovery – Malala talks with her father, Ziauddin. She was attacked for advocating for girls' education in Pakistan.

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Malala's road to recovery – Malala sits up in bed on October 25, 2012 after surgery for a gunshot wound to the head.

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Malala's road to recovery – Malala recovers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on October 19, 2012 after being treated.

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Malala's road to recovery – Pakistani hospital workers carry Malala on a stretcher on October 9, 2012 after she was shot in the head by the Taliban in Mingora.